Be prepared for the expense. Unless you have money to burn and a six month window....look…read moreelsewhere. Pros: 1) Kriste does have a good design eye and has good suggestions. At the start of the project, this is compelling. 2) Her design work is professional and she presents attractive options. 3) If you have a budget greater than $100k and have a lot of flexibility on timeline and delivery dates...you should consider her. Cons: 1) She is a bit of a prima donna will be openly annoyed if you ask for any adjustments to her design or furniture recommendations. We asked for designs that were family friendly and she acted like that request was inconvenient to her. She didn't really honor our request and came back with a suggestion that we buy a $7k side-chair made with delicate material. She conducts herself in a way that says "you are lucky that I'm helping you at all" 2) Her business model is super-expensive. Many designers either have an hourly rate and others make their money by keeping their discount % of the furniture costs that the suppliers give to interior designers. Kriste's approach is that she gets both. Buyer beware. Since she get's paid hourly...you will likely get surprised by the invoices and the budget will over-run by 25%-50% or more. 3) If your project is less than $100k, your project will get handed off to her minions. Her team is very junior and doesn't have much experience with project management or client relations. One example is that her team scheduled woodwork to be done after painting....and thus the painting crew had to come back to touch-up wall dings that were made by the woodwork crew. Net:Net - her service doesn't match her price...and her team skills are uneven. Make sure you know exactly who will be working on your project and make sure they honor that commitment.

Professional, personal and attention to detail would be hallmark traits for Kriste and her staff…read more My wife and I had a great experience with our remodel and the finished product is something to be proud of....and we are!

We're thrilled to write this glowing review for the incredible team of architects at Klopf…read moreArchitecture, who transformed our mid-century modern home into a work of art. From the very beginning, working with John Klopf, Angela Todorova, and the team at Klopf Architecture was an absolute pleasure, and the results have exceeded our wildest expectations. Klopf Architecture is a true visionary, and their deep appreciation for mid-century modern design is evident in every aspect of their work. They masterfully blended the classic elements of the era with a fresh, contemporary twist, creating a living space that's both timeless and uniquely tailored to my family's needs. What struck us most about Klopf Architecture and John's team was their ability to listen and understand our vision for the project. They took the time to get to know our tastes and preferences, and then skillfully translated those ideas into a design that was nothing short of breathtaking. Their attention to detail and commitment to preserving the integrity of the original mid-century modern architecture while introducing innovative and sustainable elements truly sets them apart. Throughout the entire project, communication was seamless and transparent. John, Angela, and the team at Klopf Architecture were always available to address any questions or concerns, making the entire process smooth and stress-free. Their professionalism and dedication to staying within the project's budget were truly commendable. I'd also like to mention that our builder, Augie, from Coast to Coast Development, was equally skilled and also a critical element to realizing the vision that John, Angela and the team at Klopf Architecture had dreamt up. The combination of Klopf Architecture and Coast to Coast Development was without a doubt, the best of the best, and we feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with each of them. The end result is a mid-century modern home that not only pays homage to the past but also celebrates the future of design and sustainability. We can't recommend Klopf Architecture highly enough. If you are looking for an architect who is not only passionate about their craft, but also genuinely invested in bringing your dream home to life, look no further. With Klopf, you won't only find a skilled professional but a true partner in your journey to creating the home of your dreams. Thank you, John, for your outstanding work, trustworthiness, and unwavering dedication to making our mid-century modern home a masterpiece. You have truly exceeded all our expectations, and we're grateful for the beauty and functionality you've brought into our lives

We met John 4 years ago when we were thinking of remodeling. Life happened and we ended up moving…read morearound a lot, but always kept in touch with John. We'd ask him about potential properties and opinions on eichler renovations, and he was always responsive and helpful. We recently spoke with John about our newest project, and he remembers all the details of our needs and preferences, which speaks to the level of customer service! I really appreciate his ability to immediately envision the possibilities the moment he steps into a space. He cares about the details, both obvious and subtle, that make a home feel right. Unfortunately our project does not fit the kind of homes he specializes in (which we had a hunch about), but he spent a lot of time going through all the considerations with us anyway. If we ever build a modern home, John will be at the top of our list.

BAD Studio offers excellent service within your timeline! They provide architectural and design…read moreservices that are contemporary. I love how they transformed my bathroom. It feels like a 5 star hotel every time that I use it! I will be reaching out to them for an ADU that I want to add to my house!

Josh from BAD Studio helped us with an outdoor office project for our house in Pinole. Our land is…read morebig but our house is small, and our backyard has a steep hill that's mostly non-functional. We wanted to do something to utilize the space--thus, an office! We talked with people about the idea before, and many thought of it as just a box on a hill--but Josh could see that it was more than that. He could see we wanted it to fit our existing house's style, blend in with the hill and trees, and fit our lived-in but modern esthetic. My wife and I chose Josh because we liked his design style (having seen his projects on Instagram and his website), his philosophy, and his personality. He listened to our wishes and was able to translate them into designs that fit both our desires and budget. My wife and I can have a hard time with descriptions and explaining our ideas, but Josh was able to understand what we were saying. He was also helped us to think beyond our original idea and to help include additional design features that we hadn't even thought of but loved! Josh guided us through the schematics, engineering, and helped us apply for permits through our city. He has also referred contractors whom he regularly works with that are good folks too! I'd recommend Josh and BAD Studio to anyone looking to do a project where they can make it the the best yet most realistic project it can be; to have someone understand what you mean and translate it into something tangible. Thanks Josh!

My husband and I are really happy with New Avenue. Amer and his team, New Avenue's principal…read morecontractor, did an incredible job building a backyard music studio for my husband on our property in San Francisco as well transforming an underutilized space into a laundry room. The team was professional, and they moved very quickly to complete the job. We found the prices competitive. Working with Jeff Rexford, we're now well on our way through the design phase of our next project designed and built by New Avenue. We're very happy to continue working with New Avenue.

New Avenue has been a joy to work with and we couldn't be happier with the incredible result. Our…read moreexperience with the New Avenue architect, contractor, as well as New Avenue management has been fantastic from start to finish. We set out to build an ADU in our back yard, and we knew that New Avenue were the experts in this area--plus they came highly recommended from friends who had worked with them. We didn't have loads of cash to throw at creating a dream house, so we were picturing a very simple, basic box in our backyard, no frills. What we ended up with is a gorgeously designed and built one-bedroom house that anyone would be thrilled to live in. It's energy efficient, has hardwood custom cabinetry and built-in bookshelves, gorgeous tiling and a beautiful kitchen, lovely polished concrete floors. The style is mid-century modern, inspired by the style of the mid-century architect Rudolph Schindler. Our architect, Randolph Ruiz, an architecture professor who is a fantastic communicator with an incredible vision, guided us through a design process that got us to a beautiful design that we absolutely love, despite the fact that my husband and I lack aesthetic talent of any kind. And it came in on budget. And as quickly as could be expected considering the COVID supply issues. The whole construction process took about 8 months because there were delays in obtaining basic supplies such as wood, windows, and appliances because of COVID. Their original timeline was 4 months, and I believe they would have come in close to that if not for the supply issues. This was for a 500 square foot one-bedroom house with a kitchen and a loft. We worked with Purev Baatarchuulu as our contractor. Purev's team was communicative, friendly, and affordable. And most importantly, very competent--one of their construction workers is trained as a civil engineer in Mongolia, and often came up with great suggestions for small improvements to the design as they went along. When one of their subcontractors turned out to be unreliable, thus delaying the project by a couple of weeks (unfortunately, he'd started the project and THEN flaked!) they managed to get him moving again by sheer polite persistence. (I'm certain they won't be hiring that particular subcontractor again). We felt consistently great about working with this thoughtful, careful, communicative, ethical, and hardworking team. Working with New Avenue was key to moving this project along and completing it in a timely fashion, with the confidence that we were doing it right. Kevin from New Avenue was super helpful in answering our questions from the very beginning, when we had just started to think about what it would mean to build an ADU. He knows so much about it, he was able to help us think through our total budget, what our goals were for the ADU, and answer our questions about timeline, as well as many many other questions about how different things work, like getting financing, etc. Kevin is really good at finding the right fit for architect and contractor, so you're not just going with an architect or construction company that your friend recommends, but rather with people who are a good fit for you. He has a deep knowledge of this whole process and is really passionate about building ADUs (which, in my opinion, is super important work to make our cities denser, increase housing supply, drive down the cost of housing, and curb transportation emissions). He also really cares about people feeling great about their homes, and finding solutions that fit your family. Kevin gets it from a holistic perspective, and it has been so great, as people with no previous experience building housing, to have someone with deep experience to guide us through the process.

We wanted to add a third story to our 1948 house in the Outer Sunset, and had several unusual…read moreconstraints, including the desire to keep the second "living" floor intact with only a kitchen remodel, no parallel walls in the large new third-floor music room to reduce reverberation, and a full-size elevator (!). After talking with several architects, we settled on Michael and were delighted with the result - and even more surprisingly - with the process. He helped us find and select an array of skilled contractors and engineers (structural steel was added and a new foundation constructed in place, it is earthquake country after all), and was onsite almost daily during the process to ensure the result. We have been delighted with that result, my spouse loves it, and technical me was so enchanted by the intricacy required for the back wall (all those angles) that I have framed the long stripe of Michael's architectural drawing that shows it and hung it behind the piano. I highly recommend Michael Mullin. He brings strong technical competence, access to great resources, absolute honesty, hard work, fair negotiation, and a fine artistic vision to his work.

Michael was hired as our architect for a major remodel of our house. The process was quite involved…read moreand he worked with us for many months to finalize the design. He listened to our ideas and, combined with his own vision, he created a beautiful space that, many years later, we are still thrilled with. It is a space that consistently impresses our visitors. He also was very through throughout the project, advising on many details during the lengthy construction phase. I can recommend him without reservation.

My husband and I highly recommend Martinkovic Milford Architects! Blake, Amanda, and Amelia were…read moreour brilliant team of architects overseen by Brian Milford. They designed our dream home and also monitored the construction/renovation process in addition to recommending a great contractor to build our home.

Disappointed by my experience here. I got more value from a 15 minute phone conversation with a…read moredifferent architecture firm than I did from my interaction with this firm, which involved multiple hours of billable research.

Ethan and his team at Drafting Cafe have a great design sense and deep knowledge of construction…read moreand permitting. They helped me convert my basement into my home office and to build a deck from my side yard in Alameda. Ethan coordinated with a construction crew he works with regularly to be sure I got a quality build in the end and at a fair price. Communication was great throughout the process, and they were fast! I'd definitely recommend them.

The folks at Drafting Cafe have been incredibly helpful as we've been considering a small addition…read moreon our home. Ethan, Lindsey, Michael, and Lauren have been incredibly responsive and on top of things. Whenever we've spoken with anyone on the team, it's clear that they've reviewed our file/request and know exactly what we're hoping to build. The team has been very engaged and answered our many questions even while we were not yet 100% committed to the project. We ended up needing to take a pause before proceeding as we figure out budget on our end. But if we decide to move forward, we would feel great about working with DCA.

Piotr and his team built a 450 sq. ft. master suite and laundry room addition for our existing 2/1…read more We absolutely love our "new" 3/2 that matches the style of the existing home. We really couldn't imagine working with another contractor for future projects. His team was respectful, creative and hard working. They appeared to use higher grade building materials than the other projects we see being built around town. They're finished the project within their estimated completion date during even though it was complicated by an extremely wet winter. We had a couple of minor miscommunications but nothing unexpected for a project this size. Piotr responded by making the appropriate fixes and changes.

Our project was to build an ADU in place of our detached garage. Not having done anything like this…read morebefore there were a lot of things I didn't know or needed to think of. We had plans but what do I know. They were approved. Piotr and Jesus and all the team were a pleasure to work with. They helped us navigate the work and provide vital information based on experience on how to get what we wanted within the guidelines of the city. Plans are just plans until something has to be built so be flexible. Piotr and team are really flexible and reasonable.